The invention relates to apparatus for cutting elongated tow into shorter lengths and the means for uniformly removing the cut material. More particularly, the invention provides a means for removing splices formed by knotting the ends of two tows together.
Cutters as described by Potter in U.S. Pat. No. 4,300,422 are broadly used for cutting tow into staple length fibers. These cutters include a rotatable reel having outwardly facing cutter blades against which the tow is wound and a fixed pressure roller pressing upon the tow wound around the reel resulting in cutting of the innermost layers of tow by the cutter blades. As cutting progresses a wad of cut staple fibers is forced inwardly between adjacent pairs of blades.
As currently handled, tow ends are spliced together using an interlacing jet. Such splicing permits continuity of operation through the cutter and the cutter can handle the interlaced splice. However these splices are highly entangled and difficult to open. Such splices when processed along with the staple fibers into certain spunlaced fabrics create defects in the fabrics in the form of unopened clumps called neps which show up as white spots on the spunlaced fabrics.